Bounty of DM riches from Alfa Matrix

I don’t think I ever realized just how many of my favourite bands are on the Alfa Matrix label. New out is the latest in an endless stream of Depeche Mode tribute albums, most of which suck donkeys, but this one may be the most interesting of all. Some of the finest electronic bands on the planet, spanning the full spectrum of electronic music’s subgenres cover some of DM’s best (and often less obvious) songs. Two of my absolute favourite bands of the moment are featured here, Belarus’ Diffuzion and Germany’s Technoir, but they only scrape feebly at the surface – Leaether Strip, i:scintilla, Nebula-H, Regenerator, Ayria, Inure, Psy’aviah (I never noticed how much electronic bands abuse the “gratuitous punctuation rule”), and a host of bands I’m less familiar with come up with some truly inspired cover versions of DM’s very best. It’s a pricey €20 and only available at the Alfa Matrix website, but highly worth it if you enjoy electronic music, even if Depeche Mode leave you cold.